The present invention relates to information processing methods and systems. More specifically the invention is related to the field of analyzing and displaying electronic information.
Every day more and more people are turning to social media to find a connection with others based on mutual interest and attraction. When they are looking to meet a life partner or companion often times they will turn to Online Dating Services (ODS). Research has shown that an individual's opinion of another person can be colored by their first interaction on a subconscious level. When a person perceives another to be physically attractive they will be more likely to find their under lying personality more appealing. However, this “priming” affect can wear off quickly and once it does the relationship must be sustained by an underlying commonality of interests. A typical member of an ODS usually follows a similar path. Their first interaction with another member is to view their picture. If they are attracted they are primed to view their profile more favorably and attempt to make direct contact. After direct communication is established the priming affect wears off and it is discovered that the two members have nothing in common, or find nothing appealing about each other and the communication ends. This leads to dissatisfaction with the ODS and leaving the community.
Fortunately priming is a two way street. If the individual is able to get a feel for the other person's personality prior to viewing the picture; they are more disposed to find the person attractive if they like the underlying personality traits. The benefits of this form of priming include the fact that as the physical attraction fades the underlying personalities mesh and can sustain a long term relationship leading to increased satisfaction for the ODS's members.
There are two main strategies for dealing with this priming issue. The first strategy is to remove pictures from the profile. This is ineffective as research shows that while seeing a member's picture can distort it is necessary to create an investment in the initial online stages of the relationship. Since in the online dating context a picture is necessary some ODS have tried requiring the profile be approved of by the individual before a picture is sent. This is ineffective in building the necessary emotional investment by the individual and unnecessary. It has been shown that priming happens very quickly and not much information is needed to prime the individual. It would be advantageous that a method and system be developed wherein basic profile information is presented to the individual regarding others for a brief time prior to them viewing the picture.
The other main strategy is to have the members answer questions and suggest other members to the user based on their answer. This suffers from several drawbacks. First it relies on the members to answer the questions accurately. This is problematic because members may attempt to distort their answers to appear more attractive. Second even if they are not being purposefully dishonest they may not be able to make accurate assessments. For example a person may answer that it is important that a potential partner is into sports when in fact they place little value on it. A method and system that takes into account the expressed desires of the individual as well as analyzing their behavior patterns and implicit desires would increase the accuracy of the information provided and greatly increase the likelihood of meshing personalities.